Absolute HR Solutions Ltd

Absolute HR Solutions Limited Progress monitoring report

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Name of lead inspector: Andrea Dill-Russell, Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address: Unit 1, The Barford Exchange Wellesbourne Road Barford Warwick CV35 8SD Monitoring visit: Absolute HR Solutions Limited, 27–28 January 2021

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Context and focus of visit

Absolute HR Solutions Limited was last inspected in January 2020. At that time, inspectors judged the overall effectiveness of the provision to require improvement.

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Context and focus of visit

This monitoring visit focused on the extent to which leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action to provide education in the current circumstances. It was undertaken as outlined in the operational note on visits carried out from January 2021 and with reference to the further education and skills handbook.

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Context and focus of visit

These visits are to help learners, parents, employers and government understand how providers are meeting the needs of learners in this period, including those with high needs and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Context and focus of visit

Following changes to government guidance and the imposition of COVID-19 (coronavirus) lockdown restrictions, inspectors carried out this monitoring activity remotely. As a result, the range of evidence available to inspectors was narrower than would be the case during an on-site inspection. Therefore, this report provides a more limited level of assurance.

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Context and focus of visit

The impact of COVID-19 has been taken into account in the findings and progress judgement below. Inspectors did not evaluate leaders’ response to COVID-19 during the spring and summer of 2020, when the provider was not open to all learners and there were no national expectations regarding remote education.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders do not yet have an accurate view of the quality of teaching and training taking place. Since the previous inspection, senior leaders have reviewed the staffing and structure of the apprenticeship programmes that they offer in supervisory management and related areas. They have broadened the expertise within the team to include experienced managers, teachers and assessors. They have recently redesigned their approaches to enable them to evaluate the implementation and impact of teaching on apprentices’ progress. However, at the time of the monitoring visit, leaders had not yet fully implemented these approaches.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders moved all teaching and training online at the start of the first national lockdown. Leaders have identified that teaching remotely and online has been Monitoring visit: Absolute HR Solutions Limited, 27–28 January 2021 challenging for teachers and assessors. Leaders have not yet been able to identify sufficiently or tackle these challenges fully. Leaders acknowledge that they need to improve remote teaching to ensure that apprentices are improving their skills and knowledge relevant to their everyday jobs.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and staff do not identify apprentices’ starting points well enough at the start of their programme. Staff overly rely on apprentices’ self-assessment of their own skills and experience. Staff do not sufficiently use the information they do have to plan training well enough to make good apprentices’ gaps in knowledge and skills. Too often apprentices on level 2, level 3 and level 5 programmes are attending the same teaching session, irrespective of their needs or stages of development. For example, most apprentices attend a finance session. However, the majority of apprentices are not required to develop their skills in finance as part of the apprenticeship standard, or as part of their job role.

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Insufficient progress

Planned training for teachers and assessors has focused on the requirements for the apprenticeship. As a result, leaders have improved staff’s understanding of the requirements of on- and-off-the job training, and end-point assessment. Leaders have worked well with employers and apprentices to improve their understanding of the need to complete off-the-job training. Leaders and employers work together to ensure that apprentices, including those who are on furlough due to the pandemic, continue to access their training. As a result, attendance at off-the-job training has improved.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders are working to improve apprentices’ access to impartial careers education, information, advice and guidance. Staff ensure that employers support them to inform apprentices of career pathways relevant to their programme. Of the apprentices who have completed their training, a small number have moved on into higher education or training. A few apprentices have increased their responsibilities at work to support succession planning or have gained promotion.

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Insufficient progress

Since the previous inspection, leaders and staff have continued to provide good support for apprentices. Leaders and staff have regular and frequent contact with apprentices and provide them with weekly ‘care packages’ and newsletters. These include information on topics such as mental health and healthy eating. Staff quickly identify when apprentices are struggling. They monitor the well- being of furloughed apprentices closely. Staff support apprentices who have experienced illness or family bereavement due to the pandemic. They provide access to internal and external help, including through their human resources team.

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Insufficient progress

Apprentices demonstrate a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe when at home and at work. Leaders and staff provide apprentices with extensive resources to ensure that they are safe when working from home and when online. Staff survey apprentices to check their understanding when they have completed topics such as on cyber bullying, COVID-19 infection control, managing conflict, staying safe online, and keeping safe in the dark. Monitoring visit: Absolute HR Solutions Limited, 27–28 January 2021 Leaders have recruited experienced governors to the governing body since the previous inspection. Governors have extensive experience of further education, apprenticeships and business. They meet and talk to leaders frequently. Governors have a good understanding of the impact of the pandemic on apprenticeship recruitment. They are using their contacts well to introduce leaders to external partners who can provide help and support.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and those responsible for governance should take further action to:

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Insufficient progress

 evaluate the quality of remote teaching, and ensure they develop the skills of teachers and assessors to enable them to teach to a high standard  ensure that the curriculum is planned and taught to enable apprentices to improve their skills and knowledge over time, and is relevant to their level of programme and job roles  improve the assessment of apprentices’ starting points to inform the planning of the teaching of the curriculum to fill the gaps in apprentices’ skills and knowledge. Monitoring visit: Absolute HR Solutions Limited, 27–28 January 2021 regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education

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Insufficient progress

and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Insufficient progress

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Insufficient progress

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T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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